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Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Tryon Palace

August 27, 2016

One of the most popular sites in New Bern is Tryon Palace, the former capitol building of the city. Though the building that stands on the historical grounds is only a couple decades old - the original burned to the ground in the 1790s - the grounds were designed after the original plans and contain only plants that would have been available in the 1700s.

The day I chose to visit was disgustingly hot and humid - the air hovered at 95 degrees with 90% humidity - so the grounds were relatively empty as I was perhaps the only one crazy enough to walk around outside. The grounds only cover about 14 acres and so can be covered quickly, but I chose to take my time, occasionally making use of the shaded benches to enjoy the colourful views.

There are 16 gardens spread throughout the grounds, organised around the sprinkling of outbuildings. My personal favourites were the lightly manicured flower gardens behind some of the small outbuildings in the back, but they were all beautiful and worth visiting. The gardens of Tryon Palace are well worth exploring, but I do wish it had been a little less hot and muggy on the day I visited.